A common misconception of people in the golf business is that everyone is playing golf all the time — but I’m sad to report that it’s just not true. Like anyone else with a job and other obligations, hobbies like golf take a back seat to life, and with less time it becomes more difficult to improve — but that doesn’t mean you can’t.
As one of the equipment editors here at GOLF.com, I can attest that I don’t play as much golf as I would like, but I still get in my fair share of rounds, and when I do play golf it’s my goal to play the best I can.
To be clear, I do not bring my clubs on the road when I am covering the PGA Tour, and I certainly don’t hunt down the nearest driving range or Topgolf to get a quick practice session in. Instead, you’re more likely to find me at a local pizza joint after a day on the course, checking emails and editing photos.
So with all of this in mind, I’m happy to report that at an age that is closer to 40 than 30, and with a couple of little kids under the age of 8, I am playing some of the best golf I ever have and doing it with less practice than ever — so let me tell you how I’m doing it.
Step 1 – Understand strengths
Great coaches will always tell you that if you want to be better it’s important to keep your strengths your strengths, and thanks to playing a lot of golf as a junior, my short game is fairly well-rounded.
Is it perfect? No, but it saves me a lot of shots when I need it to, and when I combine that with my putting, it’s a highlight of my game. With this information, I make sure to take my time hitting a few putts before every round and to make sure to hit a few lag putts too.
Playing good golf is less about making small numbers and more about reducing big ones, so every up and down and avoided three putt is a huge win.
The lesson: By playing to your strengths, you put less stress on the weaker parts of your game, and over the course of 18 holes you will lower your scores.
Step 2 – Understand weaknesses
No matter what, you’re going to have a weaker part of your game. Heck, even World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (who has had an out-of-this-world year of ball striking) has had struggles with the putter, and I shall remind you again — he’s number the number one player in the world.
For myself, I’m not even close to being the best player at my local course, and my weakness is hitting greens, more specifically on par-3s. Once I understood that this was an issue in my game (and it still is), I decided to make a change to my equipment setup by removing a long iron and carrying a 9-wood. On top of that, I also make a very conscious effort to make better decisions about my targets so if I do miss, I give myself the opportunity to recover.
Once I decided to actively address my weakness in the easiest way possible by avoiding trouble on the holes I find it most often, I instantly made the worst part of my game up to just below average for my handicap, and that alone has helped a tremendous amount.
The lesson: It’s okay to have a weak part of your game, but once you have an understanding of what it is, you can use it as an opportunity to make small changes to reduce big numbers.
Step 3 – Manage expectations
For most golfers, this is the hardest thing to do, because whether we choose to admit it or not, it involves ego and managing ego versus reality is hard — even for professionals.
The single best way to make better decisions on the course is to utilize data, and whether you use a shot tracking app like Arccos or Game Golf, having more information helps with steps 1 & 2, knowing what you’re good at, and what you need to work on.
When used correctly, the right information allows you to pick better targets, pick the right club and help you avoid trouble, no matter where you play your golf.
One of the things golfers struggle with the most is club selection into greens and avoiding trouble off the tee. Penalty strokes add up quickly and can ruin a round, so by knowing how to make better decisions you can once again avoid big numbers and create more consistency.
On a personal level, being smarter on every hole has helped me create a game plan for executing the shots I know I can hit, and being able to bring that confidence to every shot has added up.
The lesson: Take a step back and evaluate your game as honestly as you can (use stats to your advantage). By doing so you create the opportunity to learn and bring better choices to every round of golf.
Step 4 – Focus on what works
Similar to managing expectations, having the right equipment is absolutely critical to playing your best golf.
By bringing the tools you are most confident with to the course every time you play, you are already creating an advantage before you even tee off, and this doesn’t stop at just clubs. Wear your most comfortable shoes, wear the right socks, have your preferred golf balls and wear a shirt that fits and feels just right for you.
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